Labour announces new candidate for police commissioner role

COUN Paul Gleeson will take over as Labour’s Candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, after Phil Dilks stepped down on Friday.

Mr Dilks quit ahead of the November 15 elections after a minor offence as a teenager, it was revealed that he picked up a £5 fine 44 years ago aged 16 for handling stolen goods.

Paul Gleeson, Labour’s new candidate for PCC in Lincolnshire, said: “It’s a real privilege to be Labour’s Candidate for PCC in Lincolnshire.

“My experience as a councillor means I will do everything I can to stand up for every one of Lincolnshire’s communities. Crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour, fly tipping and low morale are public priorities. I’ve seen first hand where the system is failing and what needs to be done to change it.

“This Tory Government is making the wrong choices on crime, taking frontline police off the streets, weakening powers to deal with anti-social behaviour, and opening the door to the privatisation of core services.

“In Lincolnshire we are already seeing the impact of these wrong choices with 32 fewer officers since the general election and a prediction that Lincolnshire could lose 138 officers by 2015.

“I will put fighting the impact of these reckless changes at the heart of my campaign.”